Newt News

Many of you reading this may have been hearing about Apple a lot in the news recently. No, there's not a new iPhone (yet). Instead, Apple's CEO, Tim Cook is taking a stand to defend the rights of his customers.

So, why is this a big deal? If Apple has the means to provide aid to an investigation on a terrorist attack, shouldn't they be doing whatever they can to help? That's a question I've been asking myself, but to make a decision, one has to understand the entire situation. The FBI is in possession of an iPhone that is connected to a terrorist attack that occurred late last year in California. The FBI has asked Apple to write an update for the phone's software that would allow the FBI to bypass the phone's encryption and view data stored on the device. The FBI claims such software would only be used in this situation.

What the FBI is asking for is a means to gather user's data from ANY iOS device.

Apple is refusing to do so on the grounds that it violates every sense of security that Apple customers have. And you know what? I stand with Apple on this issue. I agree that an investigation should be held on an attack that lead to death, but this investigation should not be an opportunity to eliminate our independence to use technology. While I'm not Apple's biggest fan, I admire their commitment to their customers. Would Google or Microsoft do the same thing in this situation?

On a closing note, I'd like to remind you that Newt OS does offer encryption options during installation, as do most Linux distros.